


Ardent

by metamorcy



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Romance, Supernatural Elements, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-23
Updated: 2015-03-25
Packaged: 2017-12-24 08:46:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/937977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/metamorcy/pseuds/metamorcy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reborn hadn't thought that finding a small human child outside in the cold during his daily prowls for food would lead him to take the child home and nurture him. It was a strange thing, him being a demon that eats beings like this child. So what made him do such a thing in the first place? And what will come out of this? Demon!Reborn, R27 COMPLETE</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Reborn glanced around the crowded street, his eyes searching for something among the crowd – for that perfect person. He was picky, he wanted to make sure that his next meal had all of what he was searching for, it helped to strengthen the taste. His eyes peered over each woman, each male, _everyone_ carefully, making sure to not miss a single thing. Regardless, all he found was repulsive, everything appeared horrid and rotten. Then, he found a section where it was more promising. For a moment, his dark onyx eyes flashed yellow as his hunger began to grow. There were so many tasty-looking individuals around the area, perfect to satisfy him for the next two or three weeks.

'There!' His eyes peered at a single individual towards the back, a woman who was clearly flirting with two men over the counter at a side restaurant. She had golden hair, a foreigner in a sea of Japanese black and brown. The woman shot the men a brilliant bewitching smile, catching them in her seductive lure and reducing them to a drooling mess of lovesick puppies; to them she was a goddess. Despite it being winter she had left gracious amounts of her skin revealed, keeping the men's eyes trailing over her body. There was no doubt that her seductive abilities had been refined over countless years.

Reborn smirked and moved to stand beside the alluring woman. He tilted his fedora towards the side and spoke his greeting, "Chaos."

The woman peered over to him instantaneously, the lust clear in her deep green eyes, and shifted away from the two men behind the counter. There was no hesitation in that action, no second thoughts. It was clear that between the two of them and Reborn's good looks the men had nothing to offer. Reborn's deep bass on top of that, could make any woman or man succumb to his will, it was the perfect lure. Getting people to fall right into the palm of his hands was far too easy - it wasn't even worth the effort. The woman stepped closer, wrapping her arms around Reborn's right arm and cuddled up, rubbing her breasts purposefully against the limb. "Well hello there, handsome. Looking for a date?"

"Actually, yes, I am." Reborn smirked and tilted his head to the side, making his sideburns bounce. The shadow of the fedora he was wearing followed the movement, shading one eye while leaving the other open. It made him look so appealing to wandering eyes, a few passersby heading down the path stopped to stare. "Are you willing to offer?"

"For an extremely handsome man like yourself I'm more than willing," She giggled a high pitched titter as she kept herself attached and instantly leaned against the man happily. The two men beside them peered at the two scornfully before hatefully glaring at Reborn, knowing he had stolen their would-be date. However, they were smart enough to know when not to compete. They were simply nowhere near as good-looking as Reborn. The woman continued to smile with her red cherry lips. "Aren't you cold, handsome? You're not really dressed for the winter." The woman was absolutely right - Reborn wasn't dressed for the season. He was wearing his usual two-piece suit with the yellow undershirt and his typical fedora with the yellow band placed evenly on top of his spiky black hair. It wasn't enough to protect himself against the cold, not when it was snowing so heavily. Everyone else was dressed thickly in warm coats, trying to protect themselves both from the temperature and the chill of the melting snow upon their clothes. In certain areas, it was easy to see that some of the snow had gotten knee-deep, burying the land in white. The woman herself had a heavy coat despite the heels and revealing clothes underneath.

Reborn, however, just smirked, unbothered by the weather. "I was planning on having you keep me warm for the night. Was that too much to ask?"

"Oh no, I don't think I'd mind at all."

The raven watched as the woman giggled again and he began to drag her off, heading down the streets towards an isolated destination. It didn't exactly matter where he did the deed, it just needed to be devoid of people and out of view so that there were no possible interruptions. The woman beside him chattered happily, oblivious to what was about to happen, while Reborn searched through the various alleys for a destination. He was hungry and his mouth desperately wanted to devour something even if the taste wasn't enriching. He just needed something to fulfill his desire for the time being. Eventually, he spotted it, an abandoned area and began to nudge her towards it. It was clear she was taken along, her mind already working out what was going to happen next. She believed there was going to be a lot of screaming and pleasure involved, not knowing what she was getting herself into.

As they slipped out of view, Reborn twisted the woman around and slammed her against the cold brick wall, bringing his face up close to her neck. His warm breath tickled along that sensitive skin and made her shiver in delight, she was clearly enjoying the roughness. "You are quite the pretty woman."

"Why thank you." The woman chuckled, gasping when she felt those warm lips brush against her neck. She tilted her head to the side, allowing more access, and relaxed into the grasp as if there was nothing wrong with this position. Reborn licked his lips, his eyes turning yellow for a moment and peered around the alleyway for any human life. He sensed none, knowing he was in the perfect situation to feast.

Smirking, he pulled back and grinned menacingly. "And you're definitely a fool of a woman."

"Huh?"

Reborn immediately struck, stabbing his hand right through the woman's abdomen with no hesitation. Her mouth and eyes went wide in shock, unable to comprehend what was happening to her much less the pain that coursing throughout her body. Within moments, the man had his lips against the whore, sucking out something from within her mouth - doing so also prevented her from screaming. It took merely seconds and as he pulled away, a small orb of blue came floating out only to be sucked straight into Reborn's waiting mouth. He let out a small, delighted sigh as if tasting the flavor of the orb before yanking his arm back, dropping the corpse carelessly to the ground. A 'tch' slipped past his lips. "Damn, not good enough, but it'll do." Wiping his mouth with his right sleeve, he peered down at the broken corpse and huffed, glancing around to figure out how to hide the body. Normally he wouldn't mind taking a little extra from his victims before eating, but today he didn't feel like it. It just wasn't necessary.

He was a demon after all and souls were his food source. He glanced to the side where a metal garbage can was located and smirked. There, he could hide the body in that. Yanking the corpse up, he dragged the body over and lifted the cover of the bin, tossing her motionless body inside. With a snap of his fingers, the dead woman burst into flames. It wasn't big enough to leave any smoke or a stench, it was just enough to make the body hard to identify. More often, people wouldn't even notice the leftovers and the woman would merely be forgotten, just a face on a missing poster that would be replaced with someone else. Well, if she even had anyone decent to search for her. Regardless, it was all over with, everything was cleaned up and soon the snow would hide all evidence of his meal. The blood would disappear under the new layer of already forming snow. Patting his pants down, he placed his hands into his pockets and turned to leave, wanting to head back to his place. Though the cold didn't bother him he'd rather not freeze.

Clank.

Reborn snapped his head around at the sound, his eyes glowing for a moment in disbelief. Had he been caught in the act? Impossible, he hadn't sensed any other individual in the area before having his small feed. That left an animal, but he needed to make sure, he couldn't allow any careless mistakes. His eyes searched the surrounding area, taking a small sniff, before finally finding the hidden scent of… human. He growled, so he had been caught. 'Better take care of it.' Examining the area, he noticed the only item in the vicinity; the trashcan. The same metal rubbish bin that he had tossed the corpse into, he smirked when he found the hiding individual. The snow was deep and his footsteps made crunches into the ground as he paced around the area tauntingly. He could feel the human better now, hearing the soft breathing, and sensed the dull pounding of the heart. Both were weak - extremely weak - and were barely audible unless he concentrated. It was probably the only reason why he had missed the person. His fingers gripped the top corner of the bin, knowing he was clearly scaring the person by the acceleration of the heartbeat, before stepping around to get a clear visual of the being… except it wasn't exactly a person.

'What the…' There, before his feet, was a child, a small, tiny child who was currently under dressed and shivering like mad. The child, probably around five or six, did little else but cower in fear, he just sat there awaiting his fate. Reborn continued to examine the human, taking in the spiky, soft-looking brown hair and the flat cheeks. He almost raised an eyebrow at the latter part, finding it odd that they weren't chubby like most children's. It was probably due to the boy's lack of food. The boy peered up at him with wide, fear-filled honey-colored eyes.

"Hey, kid," Reborn watched as the child flinched. "How much did you see?"

The boy didn't speak and instead tightened his hold around his jacket, burying himself against his legs. It was like the child was trying to make himself even smaller, attempting to disappear in the snow. Still, that response was enough to alert the demon to just how much the child actually knew.

"So you saw everything," Reborn almost wanted to curse, knowing he had been too lenient with his surroundings. He couldn't believe his stupidity for doing something so foolish. "Then you probably know what will happen next, yes?"

Still, the child simply stared, his small lips trapped in a thin line. He didn't move - he didn't do anything but sit there almost emotionlessly. The fear that had been in those eyes was beginning to die down and after a few seconds, the child finally moved, nodding his head. After that, nothing happened. The child didn't scream, didn't beg, he did nothing but wait for his fate to be decided by the demon.

This, however, interested Reborn, it was uncommon after all. He was so used to the more obvious reactions and kneeled down, continuing to observe the child. "How did my victim die?"

The child blinked rapidly and slowly he began to open his mouth, yet no sound came out. There was nothing. The boy struggled to say a few words and there was only a grumbling sound of something trying to squeeze through. It was only then that Reborn took notice of the blue lips. Immediately, the demon reached out, grasping hold of the child's face. Cold, the boy's face was ice cold, almost like the air surrounding him. Reborn almost huffed at the fact. It wouldn't be much longer before the child died of hypothermia. His same hand went down towards the child's own and took hold of it. The ends of the fingers were beginning to turn a tint of blue while the rest of the hand was white, the cold already affecting the digits.

'There's no point in killing this boy, he'll be dead before long,' Reborn surmised, tearing his hand away from the boy's and noticed the instant recoil from the child. He smirked; the boy had been seeking warmth even if it came from his would-be killer. His eyes continued to look over the child before sighing, reaching forward towards the child once more. The boy simply continued to stare, unable to do anything but that, and watched as the hands touched his shoulders. He didn't flinch, he didn't move, he did nothing, and that fascinated the demon. 'I'm going to regret this, but whatever.' Grasping onto the child, he lifted the boy up from the ground and placed him on top of the garbage bin. He dusted off the extra snow on the child's body, watching as those curious eyes stared at him. It was then that he noticed the so-called protection against the weather. The clothes were useless; old jeans, a shirt, and a jacket. The shoes were soaked through and Reborn could only guess that the same state of hypothermia was affecting the toes. Carefully, he lifted the child up and placed him against his chest, cradling the child with ease since the boy was so light and young. Instantly, the boy attached himself to the demon, seeking that body warmth that Reborn held. The adult raised an eyebrow at that. "You're going to do that despite me being a killer?"

The boy didn't answer and refused to budge from his spot, moving closer instead. The huffs of air before the child were easier to see now that Reborn was up close and the shivering was terrible, worse than he had originally thought. The demon didn't know why he was doing this, but his interest towards the child had skyrocketed and slowly he began to move, heading towards the streets. No one looked at him or the boy. No one was really interested in seeing something that would be considered normal – an adult carrying a child. Reborn vanished into the crowd and only reappeared when he reached his apartment, the place he had been using to blend in with the humans. He went through the front, no security or people in the entry hallway, and pressed the button to call for the elevator. Despite everything, the child still hadn't done anything except move closer. Those large eyes were peering up at the demon questionably, unsure what was going to happen. As the metallic doors opened the two stepped in, disappearing inside, and waited for the doors to reopen after they'd closed.

Eventually, there was a 'ding' followed by the doors opening and Reborn stepped out onto the fifth floor, immediately heading right towards one of the doors near the back of the hallway. When Reborn opened the door with his keys, he stepped in, looking round to see if anything had been disturbed before slamming the door shut behind. "Alright kid, you're going to get something warm in you and then I'm going to have you talk."

The child was still silent as he was placed down onto one of Reborn's couches in the living room and he took note of his surroundings. He shifted towards the side, right where the arm of the couch and a couple of large pillows was. Immediately, the child buried himself into it, trying to keep warm, shivering uncontrollably as his body attempted to heat up despite the temperature difference. Reborn took notice of the sad effort and almost sighed, moving towards the kitchen to heat up some milk he still had in the refrigerator. While that was in the microwave, he went to bathroom and twisted the faucet in the bathtub, getting the temperature of the water as hot as possible. With his sharp hearing, he heard the timer of the microwave go off and slipped back into the kitchen, using his demonic speed to zoom across the room in mere seconds. There was no point in hiding his abilities any longer since the child already knew about it. He took out the warm mug, not caring about the temperature against his skin, before heading towards the child, lifting him up into his arms. "Look, kid, I'm only being nice to get information out of you. Don't think any more of it than that, and now I need you to take a bath, got it?"

The child simply nodded his head, keeping himself close to the adult for warmth. Upon entering the bathroom, the child was immediately undressed, not that he was wearing much, and was placed into the bathtub. The toes were still blue, the white extending up towards the ankle. In that condition, there was no way the child would be able to walk without collapsing. Almost instantly, the hot water drenched the child completely from head to toe, his spiky brown hair flattening out from the weight. It was clear the water was doing wonders to the child's body, the blue beginning to recede as the hot water helped the circulation. Eventually, Reborn leaned over with the cup of still-hot milk, passing it to. His grip was strong by then, his color a healthy peach and he drank greedily as if it might be his last. A soft 'ah' slipped through his lips and he continued to swallow, his throat moving at each mouthful. Soon, there was nothing left and the child placed the mug towards the side, smacking his lips contentedly.

The boy's honey-colored eyes peered up at the demon and he smiled weakly, opening his mouth to speak. "T-Thank… you."

"So you can finally talk, kid," Reborn smirked, leaning closer to the child. The bathroom itself was small, just enough to hold one person and that was all that was necessary. The demon lived by himself after all. "Alright, what's your name?"

"T-Tsuna," The voice was raw but was getting used to being exercised. "It's short for… Tsunayoshi. What's… yours?"

"Reborn," The demon slipped closer, increasing the heat of the water when it began to cool down. The steam coated everything in the room and the air was heavy with moisture. His eyes could see fat droplets of water dripping down the mirror, leaving streaks behind. He leaned against the side of the shower, his arms folded neatly across his chest. "Tell me, did you see everything?"

Tsuna nodded his head, glancing down at his hands before finally looking back up. "Um…" The hesitation in his voice was obvious. He glanced straight into Reborn's onyx eyes before shutting up once more. The boy brought his legs to his chest and wrapped his arms around his body, looking like a tiny ball. The raven just sighed and motioned Tsuna to continue. "What… are you?"

"A demon," It was a blunt reply. He was eager to see if he'd get a reaction out of the other, but unfortunately there was nothing; Tsuna simply stared and then nodded his head. "What? You're not surprised?"

"I… saw you… kill her and then eat that… blue glowy thing," The child whispered, keeping himself covered by the hot water. His skin was beginning to turn a dark pink from the heat, but it didn't bother him. Eventually, Reborn moved to turn off the faucet, grabbing a towel to let the child dry himself off. The demon knew what the other meant so he didn't bother to expand on the subject. "Why?"

"Why?" Reborn raised an eyebrow at the question, watching as Tsuna wrapped the towel around his body. "Why what?"

"Why did you do that?"

"The woman?" When he got a nod from the child, he almost wanted to laugh. "Because that's how I eat. I feast on the souls of humans. They are my food source, just like you eat food that your mother probably cooks for you when you're hungry."

Tsuna just blinked, tilting his head as he tried to understand, but since he was only a child, he couldn't. He wiggled his nose and turned his attention towards getting dry, cleaning himself off before reaching for his clothes. "I think… I get it."

Reborn rolled his eyes, knowing very well that the child didn't understand, but chose not to elaborate. He turned away as the child dressed himself in his wet clothes, unable to wear anything else. Still, there was one thing that the demon questioned: what was a mere child doing out there in the cold? It was possible that he had been abandoned or perhaps a runaway. There was a range of circumstances that could have been applicable considering human society. Of course, the easiest thing to do was ask. "Kid, why were you sitting out there in the cold?"

"Mama and brother left me there. Well, brother did and took Mama away. I thought that if I stayed in that spot they might come back for me," Tsuna concluded, he no longer had to struggle in order to speak. "But they didn't…"

The demon rubbed under his chin, figuring out that the child had most likely been abandoned by his own brother. "Would they notice you missing?"

Tsuna shook his head. "No, brother keeps Mama's attention all the time."

Reborn wanted to sigh but at the same time he was relieved. Even if he let the child go, no one would believe him. His eyes peered over the boy, observing as Tsuna bundled himself up in the towel despite being out of the cold. It was mainly because his clothes were still damp from the snow. It was only then that he saw the child glancing down at the empty mug of milk. "Are you still hungry?"

"Eh?" Blinking, the child tried to shake his head, a small tint of red on his cheeks. "N-No…"

"You don't need to lie. If you're hungry, just say so."

"O-Oh… Okay. I-I'm hungry. Mama told me that I shouldn't im-impose on people."

Reborn stood up from his spot, opening the bathroom door to leave, and waved the child to follow. "Come on, I'll make something simple for you. I don't normally have anything edible here besides drinks. It's not as if I need to eat human food often."

"Do you eat food?" Tsuna trailed behind the demon. His eyes were large as he peered up, almost like he was about to break out into a smile. Reborn didn't answer at first as he opened the refrigerator to look over the contents within. The only thing that was really edible was some pasta. It would work for the time being and keep the child full. It wasn't as if Tsuna would be picky about what he ate.

As the food was microwaved, the demon turned back to the child. "I can eat normal food, it'll leave me full for a while but eventually I'll need to eat a soul," The child listened intently, looking at the other with those wide sparkling eyes. Reborn was tempted to roll his own eyes at the sight. When the microwave went off, alerting the two that the food was ready, he pulled it out and passed it to the child with a fork. Settling at the kitchen table, he watched as the boy quickly devoured the food. 'He must have been starving… And he obviously hasn't learned that he's not supposed to take things from strangers.' He was tempted to tell the child to slow down but instead said something else. "How old are you?"

"Five!" Tsuna munched a little more and swallowed the piece he had. "Thank you for the food."

"Hmm," Reborn just observed the child, still wondering what he should do about him. He could already let him go, it wasn't as if anyone would believe the child if he went around telling people he was a demon. 'Actually, he might be handy later on. He could be useful to get past certain problems…' Smirking to himself, he leaned towards the table with his elbow against it. "Kid, I'll let you go if you do something for me in the future."

At those words the child paused. "Let me go?"

Reborn smirked. "You didn't think I would willingly let you go after finding out my secret, now did you?"

The child just blinked, biting down onto the fork as he thought over the words. "Oh…" Eventually, he placed the fork down, but would glance towards the food hungrily. Regardless, the child peered up at the adult to show he was fully alert. "So… what's going to happen to me? Are you… going to do the same thing you did to that lady?"

The demon raised an eyebrow at the curious expression. It was like the child had accepted his fate willingly. 'Well, considering he would have died outside anyway, I shouldn't be surprised.' This only made things fascinating. "I'll let you go if one, you promise not to say anything about me and two, if you do something for me in the future."

"What something?"

"Haven't decided yet."

Tsuna tilted his head in question and then nodded. "Okay!"

"What? No hesitation?" Reborn was quickly finding the child amusing and leaned further across the table. It wasn't often that such a thing happened in his long life. Tsuna just stared in question, not sure what the adult meant. "Whatever, I'll drop you at your house after you finish."

The child just glowed at that concept and went back to eating, smiling happily to himself as he continued to ingest the food. He didn't care that there was some stranger taking care of him.

* * *

Tsuna peered up at the demon curiously with a wide grin. He was at home, safe and sound after a torturous part of actually finding the place. Reborn had resorted to jumping up into the sky and levitating in place to help search since the child didn't know _anything_. The demon honestly had put more energy into helping this child than he had for anyone else before, even for his meals. Peering up at the place, he sighed and was about to turn away when Tsuna called out to him, "Thanks, Reborn!"

The demon blinked, a little surprised to actually being thanked. After all, who would thank a demon? Chuckling, he waved his arm and began to make his way back towards his place. He spoke no words and vanished into the darkness of the snowy night, leaving the child behind.

Tsuna's smile suddenly fell at the disappearance at his savior and glanced back towards his house with a heavy sigh. Heading towards it, he got onto his tip-toes to ring the doorbell, hoping that his Mama would answer it instead of his brother.


	2. Chapter 2

Reborn sneered angrily as he peered down at a house from another rooftop, his body completely hidden from any wandering eyes. He had been trying to break into one particular house for hours, attempting to bypass the magical barrier that had been placed around the building. His demonic powers were useless and simply bounced back as if nothing had happened. He sneered again, glaring at the building in frustration. He needed to get inside, to get the person who was purposely hiding within. This one person had been an annoyance to him for the past three months, following him until Reborn had been forced to vanish to prevent exposing his identity. However, despite the lack of a trail the demon left behind, it wouldn't be long before the exorcist found one of his resting places and gather evidence against him to call in everyone else. One he could handle, but multiple could be quite troublesome even with his abilities.

Still, he couldn't do anything for the time being, not while those barriers were up. He could only wait until the person came out into the open, but even that made things difficult. If an exorcist died unusually and word got out, it would no doubt give his presence away. Growling, he glanced around the house's surroundings, seeing if he could use something in the area to help him break through. It was only then that he noticed the city he was currently residing in. 'Is this… Namimori?' His mind went through the various times he had been here until it came to a child, a small child he had once met and let go after finding out his identify. 'That's right, the child…'

Grinning as a thought crossed his mind, he spun around to find the little brunet. It had been two years since their first meeting and now was as grand a time as any to have the child pay him back. It was perfect – his plan. And even if the child somehow managed to screw up, everything would fall into place. 'Now, to find him…' He was tempted to sigh at the thought of running across the entire town, but at least he remembered where the child lived. Heading towards that very direction, his mind began to wander as he jumped from one building to the other, keeping himself invisible. 'Hmm, if he was five then, he'll be seven now. I wonder how much that child has grown.'

* * *

Tsuna sighed heavily to himself, hiding behind various buildings and closed-off areas to keep himself out of sight. He couldn't allow himself to be found, not unless he wanted to suffer for the rest of the day. It was during these times that he absolutely hated his life and most of all, he hated school. However, the reason Tsuna hated school differed from what other children typically disliked it for. Everyone there was cruel to him and there was only one reason as to why: his brother. His older brother hated him dearly and made sure that the rest of the school tormented him in return. Everything was orchestrated by him to just make his life as miserable as possible. Tsuna sniffed softly as he hid deeper in the darkness to let his bullies pass by, burying himself behind bushes so that no one would be able to spot his clothes. It was a good hiding spot, he'd admit to himself.

It was at the fences of a house where a long string of thick bushes went down in a line. The leaves were so green that no other color could show through and the bushes were cut in a way that from the ground up that there was no space in-between. Tsuna had been running from his bullies one day a year ago when he stumbled across this place, slipping through a small crack within the line of bushes. This hiding spot had saved him multiple times in the past year, keeping him safe from excessive abuse he would have suffered if found. Suddenly, he heard multiple footsteps and went quiet, pulling himself together as a tight ball.

"Looks like Dame-Tsuna is gone," One of his bullies grumbled, walking by. Tsuna could see the feet clearly from the other side, watching everything that was going on carefully. He kept still, not wanting to give himself away. "He must have left early to prevent us from getting to him."

"He's getting smarter. Well whatever, we'll just have to pay him back twice as much tomorrow," The other member of the group grinned menacingly and Tsuna flinched, hiding further in his hiding spot. He wanted to cry, but knew that if he did, it would give him away. All he could do was remain still. "How are you even related to that idiot, Tsuya?"

"I have no clue. I wish he wasn't my brother. It would have made things so much easier." Tsuya, Tsuna's older brother, grumbled under his breath as he followed the other two bullies away. There was a flash of sadness and disappointment in Tsuya's eyes. He apparently hadn't been able to see his brother's terrified expression, something that always seemed to cheer him up after a bad day. Still, it wouldn't matter much. He could see it at home when he managed to trap his little brother in his room where there was no escape and their own mother would do nothing to stop it. He grinned and Tsuna saw it from his spot, shivering at the sight.

The brunet didn't want to go home now, not after seeing _that_. It wasn't hard to tell what his brother was thinking. In the end, Tsuna continued to hide, waiting for the coast to be clear before attempting to leave. He absolutely hated his brother. It hadn't been like that at the beginning. At first he had loved and adored him like any other sibling, but now, after so many years, that was gone. There was no love, no care, nothing but emptiness that was quickly filled with hatred.

It wasn't fair that Tsuya had the smarts and the looks, allowing him to become one of the most popular students in the school within days. His brother even had the same color of hair as Tsuna, well used to. Tsuya later had it dyed blond with Mama's consent, not wanting to get mixed up as his younger brother. He didn't want to be associated with Tsuna. However, due to a mess-up by the stylist, his hair ended up retaining the brown but acquired blond tips – something his older brother had taken a liking to immediately. The effect it left behind at school was welcoming since his popularity only grew further.

Sniffing, Tsuna glanced up at the sky to see how late it was before finally crawling out of his spot. He had been hiding in that one spot for around an hour, refusing to move until he was certain that there was no one around. The sun was just starting to head downwards, but its light was radiant enough to continuously brighten the day with little effect lost. Tsuna peered out the bushes, shuffling out carefully. It was safe now and he slowly began his trek towards home, not really wanting to head back since he knew what was waiting for him. He didn't want to, but it was the only place he could go. As he went further down the street, hiding behind people or objects whenever he saw someone from his school, he ignored the glaring from the people of the town. Everyone knew about him: Dame-Tsuna. Tsuna ignored it and continued on despite it being a slow process. However, as he turned right to make it down another street, he suddenly ducked back around in fear.

His brother was waiting right in front of the house along with those two bullies from before. It was clear that he hadn't come home yet so they wanted to surprise him upon his arrival. It was too obvious. Tsuna sighed heavily and turned away, heading towards another direction since home was out of the question. If he was going to be tormented, he'd rather it be one person than three. There would less punches and kicks to take into consideration. In the end, he aimlessly wandered around in the streets before heading towards a park that wasn't too far away from the house, hoping that it was devoid of people. Conversely, a sharp sound echoed from behind, startling him enough to make him jump.

"Tsuna," A dark voice called out following the snap of a heel, earning a loud terrified squeak from the child. The little brunet spun around quickly, enough to make his bangs slap the side of his face, and stared up at the figure with a frightened expression. He hoped that it wasn't his brother who had followed him and swallowed in fear as he focused on the person. However, it only took a moment for the child to be able to identify who it was and the second he did, he broke out into a wide smile as happiness flashed through his appearance.

"Reborn!" Tsuna ran forward towards the demon, stopping in front of the adult just before he crashed into the other. It was clear the child had every intention to wrap his arms around the other, only holding back because he didn't know how the demon would react. "You're back! I thought I would never see you again!"

The demon hadn't changed much, not at all, besides the clothes. Instead of the usual suit he wore the last time Tsuna saw him, Reborn was only wearing a yellow button-up long sleeve shirt with a loose pair of slacks. Amazingly, the fedora was gone, leaving Reborn's black hair to reveal its spikiness and nothing to hide his sharp gaze. The child, however, had obviously aged by two years during that time. The demon could tell the boy had grown a few inches in height and the hair had become longer, almost to the shoulder. There was a dark shadow underneath the eyes, probably from lack of sleep, and a thinness where it looked like the child had been starved. Regardless of these years that had taken its toll on the boy, that friendly personality remained exactly the same. Reborn noticed a few bruises here and there on those tiny arms, but paid no attention to that. He had come here for one thing only. "I'm here on business."

Blinking, Tsuna tilted his head as he tried to understand. "Business?"

Leaning down, the demon got onto one knee so that he could be at head level with Tsuna and momentarily glanced around the area, watching out for any curious eyes. A few people turned their way as they walked by, but no one cared that a stranger was with a child. Everyone knew who Tsuna was, everyone knew how useless he was, and everyone hated him. It was quite sad, but convenient at the same time for the demon. The words spoken between Tsuya and the bullies when he had arrived earlier alerted him to such. Reborn had hoped the child would be home for easy access, but after seeing that, it wasn't possible. And so he waited outside as he listened to the conversation before eventually spotting Tsuna in the distance. "Yes, business. There's a building I need to get into, however, there's a barrier surrounding it that prevents me from entering and getting to the person hiding inside."

"A barrier?"

"Yes, a barrier. What I need you to do is to go inside and steal an item to break it. That's it."

Tsuna continued to stare, not completely understanding what Reborn was asking him to do. Still, he would follow the instructions regardless. "You want me to… break it? Isn't that bad?"

The demon was tempted to roll his eyes, but resisted. It was a normal child-like question. He couldn't get mad about something like that. "Yes, but I need _you_ to do it. It's the only way I can get into the building and punish the bad people inside. That barrier stops someone like me, a demon, from entering, but since you're human, it won't affect you."

"Oh," It was clear the child didn't understand much, looking at the other in confusion. Still, for the brunet, the demon had been the one who had helped him a long time ago. He couldn't say no even if he wanted to, and he didn't. He wanted to help Reborn - he wanted to make Reborn proud of him. "Okay!"

The demon smirked; the child was useful just as he had hoped. Leaning over, he lifted the boy up into his arms with ease and rotated around, heading back towards the house. Tsuna didn't mind being carried, enjoying this little moment, and wrapped his arms around the adult happily. It was probably a first in a long time that he had been treated in such a way, and he drank in this small happiness. Still, there was quite a way before Reborn made it back to his destination, especially considering he couldn't easily slip out of view with a child in his arms in the daylight. Just by himself, he could blend in effortlessly despite his handsome appearance. Tsuna just smiled along quietly, not minding, with his backpack attached to his back.

"Hey, Reborn?" The child suddenly spoke up, staring at the demon as he pulled away from the grasp. "Will you be leaving me after this? Will I see you ever again?"

The demon just shrugged his shoulders and ignored the various stares. "Who knows. If you do well enough, I might come back to ask you for something again."

"Okay! Then I'll do my very best! But…" Tsuna trailed off as he thought over the entire thing. "What am I supposed to do exactly?"

Reborn shook his head momentarily before repeating the information in more detail once more. "There's an item inside the house that's creating a barrier around it. I'm certain that it's a cross of some sort or some holy artifact. You can't miss it. If you take down that item and destroy it, the barrier disappears. However, the tough part is that there's someone inside who you'll need to get past first." Reborn went down the streets, no one looking at the two for a second time. Some lingered on him, taking in his features, before turning away the moment they saw Tsuna. "You'll have to lie to get inside. If you get found out, you'll be in big trouble since I won't be able to help you until after the item is destroyed. Can you do that?"

There was some hesitation within Tsuna's eyes, but the brunet nodded. He didn't care if it was considered bad by society. "I-I'll do my best!"

"Oh? That's good," Reborn shook his head, ignoring the blunt stares towards his direction, most of them aimed directly at Tsuna. A few kids went by and he felt the brunet in his arms tightening his hold against him for protection. It was obvious by the glares Tsuna received from them that they were people who bullied the child as well, able to smell the fear radiating off the boy as he cowered against him. Tsuna was safe in Reborn's grasp and despite knowing this, it wasn't now that the brunet was afraid of, it was the future meetings. "Have you always been bullied?"

Tsuna didn't answer at first as he bit down onto his bottom lip before nodding his head. He didn't speak any further on the subject, not wanting to dive any further into his problems. Of course, Reborn didn't either and continued to move down the street. It would take a while to get to the house and the silence wasn't welcoming between the two. Tsuna eventually shifted in the grasp to peer up at the other curiously. "Ne, Reborn, where have you been these two years?"

"Hm?" The demon glanced over. "Around. You know, working, eating, and all that. Not really interesting to talk about."

"But I'm interested."

Reborn snorted. "Then perhaps another time. Right now, I'd like to get this little problem of mine taken care of." His fingers dug gently into the boy's body, clearly able to feel the boniness underneath the skin. The kid definitely needed a good meal, but it wasn't his problem. He was just using the boy after all.

* * *

Tsuna stared up at the door, his finger pressing gently onto the doorbell beside it, and waited for the response that would come soon after. He shuffled his feet gently, swallowing as he went over Reborn's plot and words. All he needed to do was follow the plan and say these words exactly in order to get through. Of course, he needed to put on a scared act, which he already held due to being fearful of the priest's response. Tsuna glanced behind to see if he could spot Reborn anywhere, but the demon was out of sight, unable to be sensed or spotted.

As he peered carefully over his surroundings, footsteps were heard from behind the door, snapping Tsuna's mind straight to the frame. There was some shuffling on the other side, he was able to tell that there were some eyes on him immediately, and then the lock was undone. The door swung open and the man stood before him almost imposingly. Tsuna flinched at the sudden swing, tears beginning to form into his eyes, and sniffled gently. He didn't want to cry, but Reborn had told him to, though it seemed easier now that he was scared. "U-Um…"

"Ah, child, what are you doing here?"

Tsuna swallowed again, trying to form the words at the tip of his tongue. "W-Well…" He stuttered in fear, glancing back for a moment before turning back to the priest. "I-I saw a monster out-outside."

The priest immediately kneeled down, listening closely to the child's words. At the mentioning of 'monster', it was clear Tsuna had the person's full attention. "Monster?"

"Y-Yeah, it was really dark and everything. A-And it saw me for a moment…"

"Oh!" The exorcist glanced around the surroundings before shuffling the child inside, closing the door behind. He peeked through the eyehole, trying to see if there was anything hiding just outside in the shadows. The protection around his home would prevent anything from getting within, assuring himself that it was safe for the time being. "And what happened afterwards?"

Tsuna fluttered, glancing around the insides of the corridor. "W-Well, it chased me. But when I got within this place, it stopped following me. It couldn't come in so I wanted to hide until it was gone. C-Could you please let me stay here? I'm scared!"

"You poor child. Yes, you can definitely hide here until it's safe to head home. Where are your parents, boy? Perhaps it'll be safe to call them so at least they know where you're at."

"My parents…" Tsuna bit down on his bottom lip, refusing to give out any information of his family. Reborn had told him not to and he didn't want to disobey. The priest took it a different way, sighing. To him, he had found an orphan.

"Child, did you by chance make a deal with the demon? Or did this demon mention anything about making a deal?" The priest spoke, looking over the boy carefully. He was pulling at the clothes, looking for a marking that would identify the contract between the two. Tsuna just tilted his head and blinked before shaking his head in confusion. He didn't understand what the older man meant by deal. "So you didn't. That's a relief."

Tsuna glanced around the room, suddenly focusing his attention on a single object that was towards the back of the room. He knew it instantly the moment he saw it, the way it stood out from the rest of the items. It was the one he was supposed to grab for Reborn, but the priest was in his way and there was no doubt in his child-like mind that he would get caught even before grabbing hold of it.

The priest remained close by, looking out the window where he knew the demon was waiting on the other side of the barrier. He couldn't allow the child to leave without some sort of protection, the boy knew nothing about who the person outside really was. The child probably believed that the so-called adult was just messing with him. "What's your name, child?"

The brunet blinked curiously before answering, saying the identity Reborn had told him to give. "Yoshi."

"Alright, Yoshi, I need you to stay here while I get some items to help us. When you see that demon outside, you can't make a deal with it, you hear me?"

"What's a deal?"

The priest sighed and continued, knowing he had better explain it out before the demon tricked the child into doing something he shouldn't. "A deal is where he does something for you and you do something in return. For him, he'll do whatever you wish as long as you pay a price," The priest tightened his grip on the boy, knowing he had Tsuna's attention. "It sounds nice, but it's really not. You get your deepest wish granted at the cost of your life. It's a horrible thing to do."

Tsuna just tilted his head curiously, not entirely understanding everything, but nodded to go along. He would have to ask Reborn about the deal thing later on when this was all done. As he thought that, the priest stood up to move away, heading into the upstairs to grab whatever was needed to fight against the demon. There was a small mutter of 'don't move' from the adult, but the brunet knew he wouldn't be obeying it. Tsuna kept quiet, listening carefully before quickly moving, grabbing the nearby chair to move it towards the barrier item. Immediately, he hopped on top and grabbed the cross before throwing it to the ground. It shattered loudly and once the sound echoed throughout the entire house, there were footsteps rushing down those stairs. The priest ran in, looking frantic and paused to stare at the scene before him. He stared at the child on the chair who was slowly getting down, then to his broken item on the floor, the barrier vanishing within seconds.

"W-What have you done?" The priest yelled out in shock, unable to comprehend what was below on the floor. He couldn't believe his eyes, it was impossible. The child had broken the only thing that was preventing the demon outside from entering. He rushed forward and kneeled down, shaking the child on the shoulders. "Why? Why did you do that?!" There was a frantic echo in his voice as he spoke, fear rising up from within. Tsuna yelped slightly from the roughness and grumbled under his breath from the pain, tearing up as the fingers dug into sore spots where the bruises were.

"L-Let go of me! You're hurting me!" The brunet cried out, struggling out of the grasp. He huffed angrily before finally breaking away, tears welling up in his eyes to the point of breaking.

The priest looked a little shocked at the sight before him, not expecting the boy to cry. "Wha…"

Tsuna spun out of the grasp before running off, heading towards the back of the house where he remembered seeing a door. He needed to escape as quickly as possible before something bad happened. Reborn had warned him about that. As his tiny feet skirted across the room, he could hear the man behind following in loud shouts, wanting to catch him. A small reminder appeared in his mind from Reborn about himself getting hurt. Still, he was proud of himself of being able to accomplish something like this despite it being a little odd. Tsuna yelped when the priest suddenly caught up with him and grabbed the back of his shirt, lifting him up above his head. He was dangling, just centimeters away from being choked by his own clothes, and Tsuna gulped as he felt a rolling aura of rage behind him.

"You poor little brat," The man spoke, tossing the child to the side, watching as the boy slid across the ground. There were skid marks on the pale skin, but nothing was broken. He grumbled under his breath as he peered down at the boy and pulled out his bible from behind his back. "I'll bless you so that you can't be controlled by that demon any longer. He must have done something to you for you to do this."

"Eh?" Tsuna shuffled back, watching as the exorcist quickly spoke a prayer in words the child didn't understand. He didn't stay long to listen though and tried to stand up, running once more. He needed to make it out the front door. It was only there that he would be able to meet up with Reborn, his savior. The exorcist behind continued his prayer, following the child, but within moments, he noticed that nothing was happening. Tsuna wasn't being controlled - he was doing this of his own will. The man sneered and quickened his pace, trying to catch the boy now in order to punish him and show him the true ways of grace.

"Boy, get back here!"

"No! Leave me alone!" Tsuna continued to run, just reaching the front door and unlocking it. However, just as he turned the knob to get out and reach the outside, a hand grasped the back of the collar of his shirt and yanked him back again – hard. "Eek!" He flew back, landing on his side painfully and sniffed as tears began to fall down his cheeks at the pain. The priest stood there, face filled with fury and held his bible in one hand, threatening to beat the child senseless. Tsuna shuffled away, wanting to escape once more, but felt a sharp pain at his side where he had fallen and where another bruise laid. Tears continued to fall and he reached up to rub his eyes, trying another tactic Reborn had taught him.

" _If you are to get caught, cry. Any good-natured person would hesitate to harm you."_

And cry Tsuna did.

The priest immediately hesitated upon seeing those tears, his hand raised up just when he was going to slap the child. He ground his teeth together as he pondered over the idea of harming the child, but couldn't bring himself to do such a thing, not to someone who wasn't possessed.

"You did well, Tsuna," Reborn commented as the front door swung open, stepping inside as if he owned the place with his hands within his pant pockets. His cruel smirk rose up on his lips, staring over the scene in amusement. "Very well, actually. I might give you a reward for doing this for me."

Tsuna immediately brightened up as if he hadn't been crying moments before, smiling happily, and jumped up onto his feet as he rushed towards his savior. "Reborn!" He felt as the demon reached down, rubbing his forehead affectionately, and felt those warm fingers tracing through his hair. Tsuna closed his eyes, enjoying the rare sensation, and pushed himself closer in an effort to gain more.

The demon chuckled in amusement before finally pulling back, smirking at the pout that was returned. "You should leave, Tsuna. Just stay outside and remain there until I'm finished." Tsuna immediately nodded and rushed off, heading out the front door as it closed behind him. This left the exorcist and the demon on their own, sealed into a small setting. Reborn smirked sinisterly as he looked over the fearful human. "Now, to take care of you, permanently."

* * *

"Tsuna," Reborn spoke as he stepped out of the house, dusting off his hands against his pants, and looked like nothing had happened. He was a little surprised that the child was still outside the house, waiting for him after knowing he had killed someone. Of course, he had done it in a way to produce the least amount of suspicion from the other exorcists. Tsuna stood at the gate, staring at the other curiously before running forward to grasp onto Reborn's leg as if there was nothing wrong. The demon stared down at the child curiously. "You're not scared?"

Tsuna took that moment to look up. "Scared?"

The demon shook his head, not going further into the subject, and reached down to lift the child up into his arms. He stepped out through the gate, no one nearby, and continued down the pathway back towards the shopping district. "Never mind." He felt the child tilt his head in question before going back to clinging to him happily. His dark eyes drifted over the entire form and lifted up the shirt slightly to see the various spots where the boy had fallen. There lay a giant bruise, dark in color, it must have been there before the incident with the priest. Reborn narrowed his eyes slightly at the sight of it. "I take it this was from a bully."

Tsuna flinched but nodded his head. "Yeah…"

"Hmm," Reborn let go, covering up the spot. "Since you did such a good job, I'll treat you. How about some food? And you can head back to my place to get your wounds treated and spend the night there. I know your brother is waiting for you at home."

"Really? You mean that?" The brunet's eyes brightened so quickly, smiling from one corner of his face to the other. "I would really like that! Thank you so much, Reborn!"

"It's fine, it's the least I could do after freeing up my schedule."

Tsuna simply continued to smile and Reborn almost returned it, but he resisted. He couldn't smile, not at someone he hardly knew. Still, he pet the brunet over the head as his small show of affection. It was odd how this child reacted with him. It had been a while since he'd gotten this close with anyone besides his own kind. Well, at least he had an excuse to come back to Namimori from now on.

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

During the course of five years, Reborn constantly visited the child whenever he got the chance. At first, it was once every few months but then as Reborn actually found himself enjoying the child's company and his ability to talk endlessly from excitement, it became once a month. That changed once more when the demon began to long for Tsuna's kind warm presence and it slowly became three to four times a month until finally once a week. Tsuna was such an interesting human that Reborn felt compelled to come closer to investigate and he found the topics that child deciding to talk about amusing. Despite it being every day stuff, Reborn would follow along and add in his own little tidbits about what he knew and he had experienced over the course of hundreds of years.

"Reborn, how old are you exactly?"

"Old enough."

Reborn began to like the child and the way he would just smile whenever they saw each other. It was kinda cute, though the demon would never admit that out loud. In a way, Tsuna acted like a bright light that just radiated whenever he was around and was constantly following Reborn like a lost puppy that refusing the child such made him feel horrible. Of course, the older brother and Tsuna's mother had the absolute tendency to annoy him. He didn't like either one of them and he took great enjoyment in causing as much trouble and misery to either of them just to make himself feel a little better. However, for the brother, he took steps a little further. He caused all sorts of irritating situations for the boy at school and even when he was hanging out with his friends, trying to make Tsuya fall in despair. Obviously, Reborn took great care in making sure that none of his interventions came back to haunt Tsuna. He wouldn't allow such a thing to happen and he made sure to steer the brunet away from getting involved.

Now that Tsuna was twelve years old, Reborn began to take the child out more often with him on missions or hunts. He found the human quite useful and took advantage of the boy's natural talents immensely. People always tended to drop their guards or relax whenever there was an innocent-looking child with tears-filled large brown eyes that was trying to seek out help. It created enough of an opening to slip pass those annoying barriers or heavily guarded exorcists. As a result, Tsuna learned a couple of skills from lying to knowing how to search out his true targets with a critical eye. He knew what exactly to break and when to search out for something. He could manipulate people, convince them to do his bidding and even get them to come out into the open where Reborn could attack freely. It was a vast improvement compared to how Tsuna had been before, so weak and cowardly. This child, the demon could deal with easily. When Reborn saw Tsuna using it on the people he interacted with daily, he felt proud as he watched the mischievous side of Tsuna slip out to get away from those that might hurt or use him.

Later on, Reborn began to allow Tsuna to stay at his place, using it as his new home to rest at compared to the hellhole called the Sawada residence. The demon didn't mind, it made it easier to search out the child, tell him the details of his plans safely, and even have people believe that there was someone constantly living in his apartment. It was always less suspicious when the neighbors could see someone entering and leaving the place considering he would leave for days at times before reappearing - less chances of people talking (well, somewhat). Reborn didn't even mind leaving behind plenty of cash for Tsuna to use, trusting the child enough to use it wisely, and sometimes a little extra for the missions the brunet helped out on, the boy deserving it.

During that time, Tsuna's grades in class began to improve and the longer he was away from his family, the stronger he got. He came back happy, no bruising in sight, and in peace. Despite some school issues with his usual bullies, he had a safe place where he could hide and relax at and didn't have to worry about being beaten or taunted constantly. It was like Reborn's apartment was his new home and it probably was.

More days went by and then another year and then another. Soon, Tsuna was sixteen and he had grown into an independent teenager, moving through high school (that his brother didn't go to) with ease. His family never bothered with him anymore and they didn't really care that he had somewhat moved out on his own, far away from any of them. Tsuna did his grocery shopping on different days compared to Nana and, as for his brother, he avoided the areas he knew Tsuya regularly visited. In a way, he isolated himself from his past and he was perfectly fine with that. He didn't have any friends nor needed them. The only person he bothered with was Reborn and the demon didn't mind at all. For all the good things that had happened, Tsuna hoped that he would never have to go back to that lifestyle.

Tsuna hummed gently to himself as he made dinner, getting ready to welcome Reborn back home after a yearlong absence. The demon had to run out on an undercover job that required him to remain hidden in the darkness for days on end to get the mission done. It hadn't been a simple one but Tsuna knew well enough that Reborn could handle himself perfectly well. Though, that didn't stop Tsuna from missing his companion during that time, finding himself more alone than ever before.

Tsuna was just beginning to finish up the preparations when he heard the front door being unlocked. He spun around, smiling cheerfully as he realized that the demon was finally home and quickly put everything to the side so that he didn't accidently make a mess for the demon to see. That wasn't something Reborn would be pleased about after just arriving.

"Tsuna?" Reborn's deep voice called out questionably before the demon caught the scent of food, slipping closer towards the kitchen. He stepped around the corner to glance inside, spotting the brunet within. "Ah, there you are."

"Welcome back. I take it that everything went well?" Tsuna's honey-colored eyes examined the demon carefully, taking note of any oddities either on the clothes or skin. It was the only way for him to identify if the other had been harmed in any sort of way. He didn't see anything though, Reborn dressed in pristine condition.

"Obviously, I am Reborn after all."

"Of course." Tsuna chuckled, getting back to the food in order to sort it into two plates. Everything was ready, now all they had to do was sit and enjoy. "I hope you have some appetite, I made some dinner for us."

Reborn shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, why not." He pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around the back of the chair before settling down onto the kitchen table. His fedora came off next, this time on the counter, and he ran a hand through his hair to straighten the locks. His eyes peered over the once child and smirked. Tsuna had really grown over the years he had known him and once he hit puberty, the difference beginning to get wider. Though the teenager was nowhere near as tall as him, Tsuna managed to reach up to his chin and was able to look up at his eyes without much strain. His caramel-colored hair had grown out, slipping towards the shoulder and would spike outward, sometimes sliding into his eyes. His skin was more on the pale side, staying indoors than out, but it complimented his eyes by bringing them out. In a way, Tsuna had a beauty of his own. He wasn't incredibly handsome like Reborn and had a more feminine tone in his features that was more of a mix. Regardless, Tsuna was turning quite attractive to people's eyes and now that he had been gone for a year, it was beginning to appear.

As the two sat down for a regular dinner, Tsuna spoke up. "Anything interesting happened during the mission?"

"Not really. I did meet up with some old friends of mine. They were either after the same guy or the organization he was connected with."

"So I take it that with the extra help, things went according to plan?"

Reborn smirked, "Somewhat, there are some idiots on that side that made things harder than they were meant to be."

Tsuna smiled, chuckling as he knew that implementation. Apparently, some just didn't know when to shut their trap during a silent mission and Reborn had no doubt taken the incentive to shut them up himself. He knew that Reborn was violent, even towards people he knew. The only person he hadn't really harmed was Tsuna but that might be because his weak human form was more prone to being damaged unlike a demon's body.

Dinner went on, the two chatting on what had happened over the time they had been apart in hopes of catching up. It took a couple of hours to get everything out into the open, dinner long done and the late night already setting in. Tsuna didn't have classes the next day so time didn't matter and he was too interested in Reborn's stories to say otherwise. During their conversation, the demon noticed the way the human smiled around him, much brighter than how he had first remembered it, and had edged closer to him in his seat. Reborn smirked, believing that it had been longing from Tsuna, who had missed him greatly. No, they both had yearned for each other, missing the times they would share breakfast or talk during the night just before they went to sleep.

Reborn would never admit it to himself but he was getting attached to the brunet, never wanting the child to leave his side. He wanted to keep the boy all to himself and never share him with anyone else. It was those first thoughts that would lead him down towards a path he never expected.

* * *

Another two years passed and Tsuna quickly grew out into a gorgeous young man that pulled the attraction of everyone he met. He had a smile that made people's hearts melt and a personality that they couldn't argue with. Tsuna had become crafty and extremely manipulative but that was all covered up by his cheery attitude. Only Reborn knew the truth behind those brilliant beams but sometimes even he found himself falling to a couple of those tricks.

"You'll be heading out to college soon. Have you decided on any?" Reborn spoke up one day, his eyes watching the television as some news reporter went on about some murders that had been happening in the neighborhood. It wasn't anything note worthy, just some human trying to show the world that he could control lives. Reborn huffed, switching off the volume. "You'll be late in sending in your application if you don't decide soon."

Tsuna hummed gently to himself, making himself a small afternoon snack. He didn't seem bothered about the whole thing even when making decent grades that could allow him into some average colleges with no issues. "I haven't really decided on what I want to do."

"You haven't?"

"Yeah, I don't know what field to head into." Tsuna stepped around the couch and flopped down beside the demon. "I mean, I have plenty of options but there's nothing I'm really interested in, nothing that really draws me in."

The demon tilted his head slightly. "That's to be expected, you're quite young. This is a career that would determine your entire life."

"That's why I can't decide on what to do."

"Well, don't worry. Either you'll find the path you want or it'll come looking for you."

Funny how Reborn would find out just how true those words could exactly be because the pathway did some find Tsuna, in the worst way possible.

* * *

Reborn had been having issues with a large pack of demons recently, ones that were quite average in the ranking and appeared to be flanking the higher ups in groups. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, however, after the pack of demons struck and weakened the other, another group of more powerful demons snuck up behind to finish the job. It was becoming such an issue that even Reborn found himself weakening over time at the constant fights. He managed to disappear into the darkness to hide from the remaining battles, knowing better to get himself caught in such a trap. It was bothersome and he didn't enjoy such annoyances.

The issue was that a large number of the demons were trackers and had no issue in taking in his scent to follow him around. Reborn sneered angrily at that little tidbit, not exactly enjoying that he had to constantly run and hide to ensure his safety. He attempted a few times to kill off the trackers only when they separated from the pack, succeeding most of the time before the pack came running. Of course, Reborn made sure to prevent any pursuing to his resting locations, not wanting anyone to get the drop on him and definitely on Tsuna.

Reborn smiled at the thought of the brunet. Tsuna was finally in college, working towards a degree in… something. Honestly, the human wasn't too entirely sure on what he wanted and was currently taking some basic credits while he figured that out. Reborn didn't mind and simply continued to supply the brunet with the money he needed to make his bills disappear. Still, Reborn sometimes found himself staring at the brunet from a distance, observing him as he interacted with other mortals around him with a smile. There were also times when he would simply glare at anyone that came too close from a distance. In a way, Tsuna is his and his only. He wouldn't allow any other human to take him away.

"So that's the human you've been keeping around."

Reborn huffed, unfolding his arms to look at a fellow demon beside him. He suppressed his surprise, having not heard the other sneaking up on him, but knew from the sound of the voice that he wouldn't be harmed. His dark eyes turned towards the male beside him and almost growled. "Fong."

The Chinese-looking demon chuckled, raising a arm up to cover his lips. "Long time no see, old friend. Heard you've been having trouble with that pack of demons."

"Not too much. They're more of an annoyance at this point." Reborn turned away, glancing back at Tsuna. He was examining him carefully from the back, not wanting to intrude while the brunet was out shopping for groceries. He was currently in an alleyway, hidden in the darkness and out of view of anyone else unless they decided to interrupt. "Still, there's no doubt that they need to be killed off and soon before they cause any more trouble."

"Yes, that I can agree with." Fong sighed, leaning back against the brick wall of the building. "They almost got my fledging, I-Pin, if I hadn't showed up in the nick of time."

"I see. Then it'll be the same as for me. I won't appreciate it if anything happens to something that belongs to me."

"Still…" The other demon hummed gently to himself, glancing towards the human curiously. It was clear he was tempted to get closer but one look from Reborn made him rethink that. "You best be careful. There's a chance your human there might get attacked because of your scent. You should change him if you want to give him the best chance of survival."

Reborn blinked momentarily at that subject matter and stared straight at the human carefully, as if afraid that Tsuna might very well disappear one day. He… didn't really want that to happen anytime soon, not when he was already so used to his presence. If Tsuna died, either by accident or old age, Reborn knew he would be left alone once more with hardly anyone to be around with. The friends he had made over the hundreds of years didn't count since they were mainly allies and though they trusted each other to help out without issues, there wasn't any on a personal level. The demon huffed and stepped away from Fong, no longer wanting to continue this conversation when it was heading somewhere dark.

Sadly for Reborn, Fong's warning should have been taken more into consideration.

* * *

It had been three months of running from the group of demons and Reborn had been as careful as possible to keep his hiding places a secret. He didn't want anyone following him back, much less to where Tsuna was living. However, despite all his caution, things eventually came to its end. Reborn hadn't realized he had one trailing him from the shadows until it was too late, memorizing his scent.

"Tsuna?" The demon called out once he arrived home, hoping to hear that familiar voice that could only belong to the brunet. However, all he received was an eerie silence. Raising an eyebrow up in worry, he stepped in further to get a sense of the area before freezing to his very spot. That smell… Reborn sneered angrily, immediately going on guard and snap his eyes around for all openings. He recognized that smell anymore, he lived off of it.

_Blood…_

"Tsuna!" Though he knew he shouldn't be calling out the brunet's name in unknown territory, Reborn couldn't help it. He needed to find the human and fast. The blood was fresh and there was only one person that it could belong to. Sliding through the apartment, he came upon the body in the kitchen and froze at the entrance way. "Tsuna..."

There on the cold tiled floor was Tsuna's mangled frame. Claw marks and bitten off flesh scarred his form. Clothes had been torn in the process and his face was covered in blood. A puddle had already formed around him, still and undisturbed. Lingering footsteps, clearly a demon's, were scrambled around Tsuna's fallen form before heading away, disappearing as the remaining blood was rubbed off on the carpet. Reborn simply stared, his mind shutting down, and slowly fell to his knees from the very shock. He could smell the remnants of those that had done this, the scent that clearly belonged to that retched group he had been dancing with. The demon sneered angrily to himself, knowing that this was his fault. They must have caught his scent on Tsuna and followed him back home, hoping to catch Reborn in his hiding spot. He had been too lenient and had allowed an opening. He was so foolish...

"Re..."

A small whisper broke him out of his trance. It was weak, grasping for breath, and it was only then that Reborn noticed the subtle movement of Tsuna's chest. He was still alive, just barely hanging on.

"Tsuna!" Reaching forward, he grasped the brunet's too cold hands into his own, staring straight into those warm honey-colored eyes. "Don't you dare close your damn eyes! You can still live through this!"

The brunet just smiled, bright as ever despite the blood that was decorating his face. "Y-You're ba...ck."

"Yeah..." Reborn peered around his surroundings, quickly searching to see if any of his enemies were hanging around. It was like they had cleared out just to have him find the dying remains of his companion, revenge for taking their own. Oh, they were going to pay for that. Reborn would make sure of that, but first things first. Taking a deep breath, he spoke, "Hey, Tsuna, do you... want to die?"

The human just stared, droplets of blood slowly sliding down his lips. His breathing was getting slower as he tried to stay awake and it was clear that the light in his eyes was quickly fading away. He smiled again and closed his eyes. "No..."

"Good answer." Reborn smirked, leaning closer. "Then you're lucky that you have me, a powerful demon beside you." Tsuna simply opened his eyes once more, weakly this time, and stared at those dark eyes. "Because if it was someone else, you would have just bled out."

Licking his lips, Reborn chuckled. "You'll be the first demon I sire. Welcome to demonhood, Tsuna."

* * *

Reborn smirked in amusement, observing as the newly awaken Tsuna annihilated his enemies in retaliation for almost killing him. He hadn't expected the brunet to become so strong as a demon, nowhere near his strength of course, but still quite up there for a fledging. Reborn figured it had to be the strength of the sire that determined everything. He chuckled as Tsuna tore through the various demons with ease, unbothered by the pathetic attempts they made towards him. Apparently, when the brunet had become a demon, he had earned a special ability just like all demons when they are born and his was too useful to deny. To neutralize demon's abilities of his choosing, it was unheard of but fitting.

The group that had been bothering him was being obliterated with ease, not even understanding what was happening to them until it was too late. Reborn simply laughed, languishing in this turnaround. He remained hidden in the back, surveying the setting both for himself and Tsuna's safety.

As the last body splattered against the ground, the brunet spun around and stepped towards his companion with a gentle smile. "It's done, Reborn. They'll never bother us ever again."

"I can tell."

Tsuna peered back momentarily at the bled out corpses, the light from the distance streetlights reflecting in his eyes. "So what now? What should I do? I know... I can't live a normal life anymore."

Reborn shrugged his shoulders, pulling away from the wall he had been settled against. "Anything. Whatever you want. You're technically immortal. You can't be killed easily and you can move however you wish."

The brunet hummed gently to himself before gazing back at the older demon. "Well, I don't really plan on going anywhere except with you. I guess you can take me along from now on. My poor human body won't be able to get in your way now."

"Even as a human, you had your uses."

"So you say but I guess now that I'm a demon, I'll be able to do things I couldn't before. I'll be able to help you in areas a human couldn't." Tsuna smiled, nearing the other. Despite the blood that was scattered around him, he appeared too innocent in the setting. He then spoke all too softly, as if he only wanted those words to be for himself only. "And then perhaps I could have you look at me differently than just a friend."

Reborn caught that last phrase and from his continual interactions with the humans, knew exactly what that meant. He stared at the little demon curiously before smirking, reaching forward to wrap an arm around Tsuna's shoulders. He listened to the small 'eep' the other released and chuckled. "Well, I guess someone is really going to have to try hard to change my option about them but don't worry, it won't be for nothing."

Rubbing the top of Tsuna's head, enjoying the way the spiky hair nestled against his skin, Reborn gave out an laugh. He pushed down a little harder, listening to the arguments and curses the other threw at him before stepping away, knowing things would be extremely interesting for the next couple of years. Having a partner along with him will definitely make that time worthwhile in the passing.

" _Reborn_!"

Oh, he was going to have a lot of fun with this little demon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the rush of this story but it had to be done. I couldn't really think of anything and it just wasn't happening but I at least gave it an ending. Anyone is welcome to expand on this storyline if they like considering I'm unable to.


End file.
